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Winemaker's Notes

A Syrah-Merlot field blend (with some cabernet and viognier). Its name reflects its dark, mysterious character.

Clos Saron Winery

Clos Saron is about the terroir character. In order to maximize its expression in the wine, we minimize winery manipulations:

No commercial yeast or M/L inoculation.
No acid corrections.
No SO2 additions during barrel aging.
No unnecessary racking or pumping.
No fining.
No filtration.

Our grapes are crushed within 20 minutes from the time they are harvested. The must ferments in old-fashioned open-top oak fermenters. These, as well as our fine barrels, are coopered by the Rousseau family in Gevrey Chambertin (Burgundy). The wine is aged on its lees for as long as necessary, often until the day of bottling. It is then bottled manually, directly from barrel.
My name is Gideon Beinstock. I have been involved in just about every possible aspect of the wine industry over the past 25 years: consumer, buyer, seller, educator, writer, and - for 10 years now - maker. Saron, my wife and inspiration, has many years of experience in viticulture, and a magic touch with all living things: dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, bees, even little human kids. We have decided to dive into this dubious financial adventure out of many other-than-commercial reasons: love of wine (especially Pinot Noir), love of outdoors work (especially viticulture), the artistic challenge (we both had artistic aspirations and education), and our wish to do something productive in our lives. Wine is for us an integral part of our lives, a source of enjoyment, and an endlessly expanding horizon to explore. We hope our wines will enhance your life in similar ways.
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About Sierra Foothills

Called gold country since the mid-1800's, the Sierra Foothills, located between Sacramento and the Nevada border, was a hot spot for those seeking a gold rush fortune. Some of these settlers brought some European vines with them and somewhere in that mix was the Zinfandel grape.

Notable Facts

Zinfandel remains the grape of choice here, followed by Rhone Blends. Volcanic rock & granite-based soils give their wines a robustness that make them unique, and highly sought after, particularly from the two best-known counties, Amador and El Dorado. Zinfandels here are spicy and structures, with brambly fruit and excellent backbone. Once a well-kept secret, wine from the Sierra Foothills is now on the national wine map.

About California

It's not rare to see a wine's country of origin listed as "California." A country into itself in the wine world, California makes enough varieties and styles to match many European wine countries. It produces a diverse range of wines that span the quality spectrum.

The most famous of the California wine regions is Napa Valley, and these wines are certainly outstanding – but it's not as broad and diverse as its larger neighbor, Sonoma County. Down south, Santa Barbara's Santa Maria Valley is well-known for its Rhône blends, as well as cool-climate varieties like Pinot and Chardonnay. The Central Coast, the largest California AVA, has many different microclimates that lead to a wide range of wines with many sub-AVAs.

Customer Reviews

1 rating, 1 with review

Incredible wines. Extremely ageable and far better than many other high profile California wines at this price point and higher. I got lost trying to find the winery way out in Oregon House, but the line-up was worth the drive.

Alcohol By Volume Guide

Most wine ranges from 10-16% alcohol by volume. Some varietals tend to have higher (for example Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon) or lower alcohol levels (Pinot Noir and many white varietals), but there is always some variation from producer to producer. Some wine falls outside of this range, for instance Port weighs in closer to 20%, while Muscat and Riesling are usually a bit below 10%.

Wine Style Guide

Light & Fruity

Red wines that are more fruit-forward and lighter in tannin and body.

Smooth & Supple

Medium bodied reds that go down easy, with smooth tannins and supple fruit.